Unvanquished
About Unvanquished is the tenth episode of the first season of Caprica and the eleventh produced hour of the series. It first aired on the SyFy Channel on October 5, 2010. Daniel Graystone's fight to rebuild his life leads him to the Ha'la'tha. Clarice Willow travels to the world of Gemenon to unveil her master plan to the Monotheist Church. "Unvanquished." Caprica: Season 1.5, created by Ronald D. Moore and Remi Aubuchon, episode summary (edited), episode 110, Syfy, 2010, disc one. Summary Prologue Daniel Graystone is channel surfing. CAP News is interviewing Tomas Vergis, who has acquired Graystone Industries and the Caprica Buccaneers. The team hits a seven-game win streak after Vergis bought the team. He delivers the U-87 military contract on time and on budget. GDD Agent Jordan Duram makes a press statement confirming the STO's involvement with the car bombing three weeks prior. Baxter Sarno cracks jokes about the wings of Icarus. A newscaster warns motorists of, "delays at the Pantheon Bridge where safety retrofitting continues in the wake of the incident three weeks ago when the controversial Dr. Amanda Graystone. . ." Daniel switches off the television and screams. Clarice Willow meets with the Monotheist Church Conclave on Gemenon to give a holoband demonstration of the value of Virtual Heaven. It depicts a group of STO suicide bombers attending a Caprica Buccaneers versus the Gemenon Twins pyramid game at Atlas Arena. They set off their bombs and blow up the arena. Obal Ferras, leader of the Conclave, interrupts the demo and tells Clarice this "recruiting tool" will only scare away potential converts. She tells him there is more. They resume the demonstration and enter a beautiful place with refined architecture, statues and waterfalls - all bathed in a golden light. The martyrs download into existing sentient avatars of themselves and praise the One True God. Clarice says a tangible representation of eternal life would unite the Twelve Worlds and bring the One True God to dominance. Act One Having lost his daughter, his wife, his company and even his pyramid team, Daniel is desperate enough to seek a meeting with Joseph Adama and the Guatrau. Daniel offers him a partnership in the business of eternal life - the avatar program he had tried so mightily to create with Zoe's MCP chip. Start-up - from Syfy.com (edited) Daniel offers this partnership in exchange for the funds to continue his work and the "influence" to oust Vergis and regain control of his company. Obal and Clarice discuss the merits of Apotheosis. Obal says, "I've known you a long time, Clarice, so I'll be frank. You're not a religious leader, you are STO. Technically, a terrorist. . . Do what you are good at doing - making things go boom. Leave the business of saving souls to the professionals." This angers Clarice who demands to see Mother. Obal says he will do what he can and leaves. The Guatrau asks Joseph for his opinion of Daniel Graystone. Joseph says he has great wealth, but no humility. "He thinks he is smarter than us. He thinks he can use us then discard us when we are done solving his problems." The Guatrau thanks Joseph for his honest advice and says he will represent his interests in this matter. Joseph begins to object, but the Guatrau tells him this is an honor for an unmade man. Act Two Joseph leaves the Guatrau and goes outside where Daniel and Sam Adama wait. Daniel wants to know the decision, but Joseph tells him he will have to wait. Impatient, Daniel leaves. Sam is proud of his brother for receiving a bump from the Guatrau. Obal meets with Mother. He says Apotheosis is a complete blasphemy. He tells her he has known Clarice since she came to Gemenon as a child. She became the brightest star in the STO training camp. However, she is also a zealot with delusions of grandeur, and has a definite Messiah complex. He warns Mother that if Clarice gets the rank and file STO on her side, things can get pretty ugly. Mother gives him permission to dispose of her. Later that day, Joseph and Sam visit Daniel at his home. They determine which lines he will not cross in the proposed partnership with the Ha'la'tha. Daniel backs out and Joseph reveals it was a bluff. Joseph says this is not the life for him. He and Sam leave. Act Three Lacy Rand is target shooting in a greenhouse. She joins Barnabas and other young STO members in a ritual. Keon, Pann and Hippolyta are there with others. Barnabas takes a knife and cuts the palm of his hand. He squeezes his blood into a bowl. Lacy is distracted. She says she does not know the ritual, but Pann says Barnabas has done it before. Barnabas doubts her commitment to the cause. In response, Lacy takes the knife, slices her palm and squeezes her blood into the bowl. She takes the bowl and pours the blood into an infinity symbol upon a wooden slab. Barnabas is pleased. He leaves, taking Hippolyta with him. Clarice and Diego commiserate over the Church and the STO. Clarice reminisces about the early years of the monotheistic movement when the STO safeguarded the Church. Clarice says this is the only reason the Church made it through the lean years. Now that the Church is more established, they have become more comfortable with their polytheist neighbors, which disgusts Clarice. This has led the Church to publicly disavow the STO and to treat them poorly, such as making them live in tents in the cold instead of allowing them to reside in more comfortable rooms in the Retreat. Vergis tells Cyrus Xander to melt down the original U-87 prototype, which was badly damaged in the crash and the fire. Clarice remembers Zoe approaching her at school with a huge scientific discovery she has made. Obal arrives to take Clarice to see Mother. Daniel leaves a message for Amanda telling her he misses her. On their way to see Mother, Obal and Clarice discuss Apotheosis. Clarice says, "The hand of God brought me a girl with the ability to turn code into a soul. When I think of it, I'm overcome with awe." Obal asks Clarice if she wants to serve God, or does she want to "be" God. Cyrus visits Daniel with an update on the Cylon development. Although Vergis' robots fight and shoot well enough for the army, they do not have the artificial intelligence that the prototype had. Ibid (edited). Clarice, having gotten wind of the plot on her life, uses her charisma to turn the tables and surprises Obal with a Caesarian assassination. Diego and all of the members of the Conclave stab him in turn while the Mother watches. Ibid. Act Four Clarice visits Mother. They discuss Apotheosis. Mother is skeptical of Clarice's concept of a Virtual Heaven, preferring faith in the One True God over a man-made "artificial" heaven. However, Mother realizes the strategic possibilities of such a computer program, so she gives Clarice the authority to become the leader of all of the STO cells on Caprica. Daniel has reconsidered the Ha'la'tha's terms for the deal. The Guatrau asks if this is offered freely to which Daniel says, yes. They shake on the deal. Inspired by Daniel's vision, Cyrus decides to store the U-87, instead of melting it down as Vergis ordered. He thinks Daniel will come back for it one day. Zoe survived the crash and wanders through New Cap City. She comes across a gang of gamers who challenge her to a duel. They wear Tamara's T-Flower symbol on their foreheads. They know she is a deadwalker and cannot be killed, but they try to kill her anyway. Zoe kills them one by one, then finally confronts Brewer, their leader. He knows she cannot die, but he wants to inflict pain. She immobilizes him with her newfound powers in V-World. She asks him where the other deadwalker (Tamara) is, but he does not know. Then she kills him, ejecting him permanently from the game. Epilogue Amanda listens to Daniel's message. She survived her suicide attempt and is convalescing in a secluded cabin. She leaves him a message saying she cannot talk because she needs more time. Clarice returns from Gemenon and walks in the cabin door. Clarice says it is good to be home. Trivia General * This episode marks the first time the planet Gemenon is seen in the Caprica universe. * Executive Producer Kevin Murphy says in the episode commentary that Barnabas expects his followers to sexually service him. This is why Barnabas tells Hippolyta to come with him after the ritual. "Unvanquished." Caprica: Season 1.5, created by Ronald D. Moore and Remi Aubuchon, commentary by Executive Producer Kevin Murphy, episode 110, Syfy, 2010, disc one, 23:40-23:44. Ratings 890,000 American viewers Caprica, Episodes, US Viewers on Wikipedia (Retrieved on August 13, 2019). Production Notes General * Daniel Graystone's limousine is actually a Rolls-Royce, but was digitally manipulated to alter its appearance. "Unvanquished", Trivia on the Internet Movie Database (Retrieved on August 12, 2019). Filming Locations * The exterior of the Guatrau's country estate is the Crease Clinic Building at the old Riverview Hospital (Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada). It was the Battlestar Galactica filming location for the episode, The Farm (2005). "Unvanquished." Caprica: Season 1.5, created by Ronald D. Moore and Remi Aubuchon, podcast with Executive Producer David Eick, series star and director Eric Stoltz, and Director of Development in Current Series for Universal Tom Lieber, episode 110, Syfy, 2010, disc one, 37:58. * Clarice Willow's cabin was filmed at the McMurdo Frazer Park Caretaker's Cabin, 2720 Pemberton Avenue, North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Caprica: "Retribution", Trivia on the Internet Movie Database (Retrieved on August 19, 2019). * Athena Academy interiors were filmed at a former nunnery, per director Jeffrey Reiner. "Pilot - Unrated, Extended Edition." Caprica: Season 1.0, created by Ronald D. Moore and Remi Aubuchon, commentary by Director Jeffrey Reiner, Executive Producer/Writer Ronald D. Moore and Executive Producer David Eick, episode 101, Syfy, 2010, disc one, 09:16-09:22. Cast * Eric Stoltz coaxed his friend, actress Meg Tilly, out of a fifteen year retirement to play the role of the Blessed Mother. Caprica: "Unvanquished", Trivia on the Internet Movie Database (Retrieved on August 19, 2019). * Meg Tilly is credited with "Special Guest Appearance by Meg Tilly" and is listed before the guest stars at the beginning of Act One. * Paula Malcomson is not credited at the beginning of Act One with the rest of the main cast. Her name is the first of the cast credits on the end titles. This was probably an attempt to maintain suspense throughout the episode as to whether Amanda Graystone survived her suicide attempt at the end of the previous episode, "End of the Line." Daniel mentions losing his wife several times. Amanda is not seen until the last few minutes of the episode. Therefore Daniel's dialogue is probably a reference to their marital separation. Music Cultural References * Athena (goddess) * Atlas (Titan) * Capricorn * Gemini * Pan (God) * Pantheon (word) * Queen Hippolyta Bloopers and Continuity Errors See Also * Monotheism * Polytheism * Sentience References Cast and Episode List